TASI lectures on black holes in string theory

TL;DR

This paper provides an introductory overview of black holes in string theory, covering thermodynamics, entropy, dualities, branes, and quantum aspects, highlighting recent developments and unresolved issues.

Contribution

It offers a comprehensive synthesis of black hole physics within string theory, including new insights into entropy calculations and the role of branes and dualities.

Findings

String/brane methods compute black hole entropy.

Extremal and non-extremal black holes analyzed in string theory.

Connections between black hole physics and quantum information explored.

Abstract

This is a write-up of introductory lectures on black holes in string theory given at TASI-99. Topics discussed include: Black holes, thermodynamics and the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy, the information problem; supergravity actions, conserved quantum numbers, supersymmetry and BPS states, units and duality, dimensional reduction, solution-generating; extremal M-branes and D-branes, smearing, probe actions, nonextremal branes, the Gregory-Laflamme instability; breakdown of supergravity and the Correspondence Principle, limits in parameter space, singularity resolution; making black holes with branes, intersection-ology, explicit d=5,4 examples; string/brane computations of extremal black hole entropy in d=5,4, rotation, fractionation; non-extremality and entropy, the link to BTZ black holes, Hawking radiation and absorption cross-sections in the string/brane and supergravity pictures.